Culture-bound words/ Realia Translation

Culture has always implicitly or explicitly figured in the TRCulture-bound words referculture of a certain nation or people. Texts cannot be analysed outside their socio-cultural contexts TR implies both linguistic and extra-linguistic mediation.

H. Vermeer the translators task is to introduce into a society and its literary tradition new aspects of the world, thus enriching the TL.

Culture -an important element in translation studies that should be taken into consideration thoroughly by those who deal with culture-bound texts. besides proper nouns they include objects, places, institutions, habits restricted to a given culture.

Realia" has its origins in Latin, the word is a plural of "realis" (real), the word signifies the objects of the material culture. Entering the field of translation studies, "realia" does not mean objects, but signs/words signifying objects of the material culture, especially pertaining to a local culture.

It is necessary to distinguish realia-objects (outside translation studies) and realia-words (inside translation studies). Vlahov and Florin's research is precious, the definition the 2 Bulgarian scholars give to "realia" :

Words (and composed expressions) of the popular lg representing denominations of objects, concepts, typical phenomena of a given geographic place, of material life or of social-historical peculiarities of some people, nation, country, tribe, that for this reason carry a national, local or historical color; these words do not have exact matches in other lgs.

Geographic realiaphysical geography and meteorology objects: steppe, prairie, tornado, tsunami;denominations of endemic species: kiwi, koala, Abominable Snowman, yeti, Galpagos iguana, heryomuha.

Ethnographic realia -words signifying notions of everyday life and culture of peoples, forms of material and spiritual culture, customs, religion, art, folklore. Everyday life: shchi, paprika, pie, spaghetti, cider, sauna, drugstore; kimono, sari, mocassin, lapti, sombrero, jeans; izb, yurt, igloo, troika, cab, gondola;

work: brigadeer, farmer, kolkhoz, rancho, latifundium, brigade, art and culture: kazachok, blues; balalaika, chastushki; ikebana; minstrel, geisha, carnival, Ramadan, May Day, Hanukah, Thanksgiving; Santa Claus, vampire, zhar-ptitsa, baba yag, flying carpet, lama, shaman; synagogue, babe leto;

ethnic objects : Bantu, Coptic, Cossack, totonaki, basque; cockney, gringo, gorilla, yankee; measures and money: arshin, foot, mile, yard, hectar, acre, quarter; ruble, dollar, kopek, lira, dinar, peseta.

Political and social realiaregional administrative agencies: region, province, department, county, canton, princedom; aul, hutor, Kremlin, organisms and offices: forum; people's assembly, duma, senate, chamber, congress, municipality, ispolkom, High chamber; chancellor, khan, czar, pharaoh, lord, sheriff, vizier, ataman, mayor;

social and political life: westernizers, Red Crescent; lobby, Bolshevik, Sir, Ser, Madame, Five-year Plan, college, campus; nobility, Samurai, Barin, Mujik; red flag, five-pointed star.military realia: legion, cohort, horde; carabina, katyusha; general, marshal, commando, guerrilla, ataman, dragon.

Strategies for rendering realia1.Cultural Borrowing 1.1 Transcription -transmission of sounds of a foreign lg using the letters of the alphabet of the receiving culture. Russian: "Guardian" -; know-how -;-cultural borrowing Wall Street Journal as or -, genocide .

1. 2. Transliterarion -transmission of letters of a foreign word using the letters of the alphabet of the receiving culture.Russian: the tomahawk-tomagavk, Toponyms/charactonyms are rendered in such a way into Ro: New York, Washington, Chicago, California, David, Mike, Guru (a spiritual teacher in Hinduism). lei, sorocovat, euro, dolar

Russian: Transliterarion and Transcription: "Herald Tribune- -the first word is rendered by means of transliteration while the second one transcription; "Christian Science Monitor"- - the first 2- transcription , the 3rd word transliteration.

2. Calque/loan translation -the ST word or phrase into the TL literally. Pedersen-this strategy could hardly be used on proper names, but it is not uncommon for rendering the names of companies, official institutions, technical gadgetry. ginger beer - / berea de ghimbirNew England - / Noua AnglieLabor Day - / Ziua Muncii

Ru: skyscraper -neboskreb, backbencher- , shuttle diplomacy- , White House- , Thanksgiving Day - .Ro: skyscraper- zgarie-nori. White House-Casa Alba. New Years plough pluguorul(peasant custom)+explicitation, Thanksgiving Day -Ziua Recunotinei.

4. Half-calques: German Dritte Reich is in Ru: tretij rejh, in En:Third Reich, in Ro: al Treilea Reich.5. Appropriation -adaptation of foreign realia: a word in the TL is created that fundamentally is worn over the frame - even from a phonemic point of view - of the original word.

In Norse mythology, a valkyrie (from Old Norse valkyrja "chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who decide which soldiers die in battle and which live. German Walkre, "valchiria" (Italian), Valkyrie (English), valkirija (Russian).

6. Cultural Adaptation replacing the unfamiliar with familiar. R. Leppihalme transferring the connotations and association of the realia element by using TC functional equivalents, thus choosing domestication over foreignisation Brandy k/coniacBoth brandy and cognac is an alcoholic drink produced by distilling grape wine. cognac is governed by strict laws in France, brandy is more loose in its methods

Cultural adaptation Words/phrases in both lg versions have similar connotative and denotative meaningsLassi- popular and traditional yogurt-based drink of the Indian subcontinent. a banana lassi - /iaurt de bananeColiv cornmeal dish, rzi -- freeholdersMamaliga -mashed corn

8. Approximate translation (Vlahov and Florin)to translate Realia in a vague way, the color is nearly always lost, instead of the connotation prescribed by the author's strategy, an expression necessarily deprived of that intended connotation, having a neutral style.

8.1. Substitution with a generic expression of broader meaning is resorting to the translation principle of generalization. I prefer dry wine or borzhomi. I'd like something lighter: some narzan or lemonade."mineral water".Walkman .

8.2. Substitution with a functional analogue-the substituted element arouses a similar reaction in the TC reader to the one aroused by the ST on the SC reader. A Neapolitan mandolin can become a Western-American banjo.Mile-kilometer, dollars-lei or roubles.

8.3. Description/explanation instead of realia, a periphrasis is used explicitating the denotative content. Russian armyak -"rough cloth coat",kulebyaka -"dish of filled pastry", baby-sitter- who looks after a child. Sahib- is a South Asian term of respect and means master; mocani wealthy sheep-rearing Transylvanian peasants.

Explicitation -making info that is implicit in the ST explicit in the TT. Island City- Mumbai - / oraul de pe cele apte insulethe translator reveals the implicit meaning.

When the Israelis invaded Lebanon, we made a stand at Shatila. , /lagarul Shatila.

8.4 Contextual translation of the realia. Realia are substituted with words that explain the sense of such a collocation. Instead of translating the lexical meaning, the systemic, relational meaning is translated, Putyovka na sovetskij kurort Accommodation at Soviet spasthis word has no 'analogue' in cultures outside the Russian-Soviet one.

9. Deletion---the meaning of the source cultural term is too obscure and the translator does not know it. ...scoate vornicul din sat pe oameni la o clac de dres drumul. the mayor ordered the villagers out to repair the road

A band of dacoits, or armed bandits, settled in the area and began to demand tributes. , . Dacoit -denoting a robber, especially a member of an armed gang.

10. Addition - (footnote, endnote, glossary, commentary): "We're going to stay at an ashram," his friend announced. "It's run by the Rajneeshis, at Poona. It's the best ashram in the country." , . .

ashram (a religious retreat or community where a Hindu holy man lives) Rajneeshis (people inspired by the Indian mystic Osho).

To consult the explanatory dictionaries of the TL, as there is a bulk of realia words that, though belong to the SL, has already entered the linguistic system of the TL. they possess a certain, stable form -fixed officially in accordance with the phonetic and orthographical rules of the TL.

The form of the adapted realia word into the TL can differ to a great extent from its original form, derived from the SL. It can be explained by the differences between the phonetic systems of the SL and TL, different alphabets and other factors.

the accent of the translated culture-bound word. S. Florin and S.Vlahov "while introducing a new realia in the text, the translator would do a good thing, if he marks at least once in the text the stressed syllable of the realia word". To avoid the reader's distorted pronunciation of the unknown word.

The grammatical form of realia word is determined by the part of speech, various grammatical categories which it belongs to. the main part of the realia are nouns, as they denominate concrete objects, they have an exact referent.

some culture-bound words have to be adjusted to the grammatical system of the TL: to the grammatical categories of number, case, if they are nouns; they can also receive certain suffixes.

Greek "synagogue1.Transliteration of the Hebrew word:beit haknesetthis choice has the characteristic of recognizing the alien element and of providing for a specifying (neither neuter nor generalizing) rendering.

2. Translating the Hebrew words beit hakneset to reconstruct in the receiving culture a linguistically similar form:gathering house; this choice has the characteristic of not recognizing the alien element (a "gathering house" could be in any culture) and of providing for a neuter (neither specifying nor generalizing) rendering.

3. Creating a specific translatant for the receiving culture, in this case:synagogue; this choice has the characteristic of only partially recognizing the alien element (the reader may not know that "synagogue" is a Greek word deriving from Jewish culture) and of providing for a neuter (neither specifying nor generalizing) rendering.

4. Explicitating the denotative content:sacred building in Jewish tradition destined to the exercise of cult; this choice has the characteristic of a specifying (neither neuter nor generalizing) rendering consisting in explicitation, joined to the recognition of such an element as belonging to a given culture;

5. Substituting synagogue with a local variant of this kind of element:church (for Christian culture), mosque (for Islamic culture), temple (for some polytheist cultures); this choice has the characteristic of appropriating the alien element. Finding a church in a Hebrew text set in a Jewish context is in a sense a "cultural fake",

6. Substituting the synagogue with a variant of this kind of sacred building considered 'international', the best known in the world. supposing that the best known denomination is "temple", one could use as translatant "temple"; a generic 'international code' not typical of a given region,

7. Adding an adjective specifying its cultural identity:"Hebrew temple"; this choice has the characteristic of recognizing the alien element on the plane of content, although not on the formal plane, and of providing for a neuter (neither generalizing nor specifying) rendering.

But committee translation has distinct advantages, also, especially in increased accuracy that comes from the checks and balances process of committee work. Vernacular translations produced under the United Bible Societies are typically committee translations.

Common language translation (CLT)A common language translation is a version of the source text which is in the "plain", ordinary language of the average speaker. It follows an idiomatic translation approach. The vocabulary and grammatical constructions are chosen carefully to ensure that they are in common usage by ordinary speakers of the language. A common language translation for English would be in Plain English.

Dynamic translationIf a translation is dynamic we mean that the original meaning is communicated naturally in it, as well as accurately. Dynamic translation contrasts with literal translation, which often loses some of the original meaning in its attempt to retain the form of the original as much as possible. A dynamic translation pays careful attention to the natural features of the target language.

It uses a vernacular (commonly used) vocabulary as opposed to a specialist vocabulary of the target language. A dynamic translation attempts to speak in the language of the average fluent speaker of the language. The terms dynamic translation and idiomatic translation are equivalent.

Essentially literal translationThe translators promote it as: an essentially literal translation that seeks as far as possible to capture the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each writer. As such, its emphasis is on word-for-word correspondence, at the same time taking into account differences of grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages

Thus it seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and meaning of the original. It appears that an essentially literal translation may have some more natural wordings than a literal translation, and so is easier to read.